Finally, after close to 4 months after Christmas, this story is finally complete!

For any of you who enjoyed this story, I have a new story out entitled "Frozen Reality", it's just like this but a little more serious and actiony! Check it out if you'd like!

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Phineas and Ferb.

Chapter 12: New Year's Eve

The next few days for Isabella were some of the happiest, most effulgent days she could remember. When she and Phineas broke the news to the gang, they were shocked beyond belief, never guessing that Phineas would ever see romance with his best friend. Adyson in particular was a little grumbly as she handed Milly a twenty, but Isabella barely noticed. Not even Ferb was prepared for their sudden announcement, as he had always assumed that their recent get-togethers had ended unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, everyone was happy for the pair, even if they did tease Phineas a little about his long-lasting obliviousness.

Isabella had meant to spend more time with her friends, as she hadn't seen them in a while, but her even stronger attraction towards Phineas took precedence. Thus, she found herself visiting him for several hours each day, with a whole new variety of topics to discuss and activities to do with him. Once, as he was teasing her about her uncontrollable tendency to pass out, she retorted that she just needed more endurance, which led to several 'practice' sessions to help her out. They had built up to a full twenty-one seconds before Isabella would faint out of bliss.

They didn't just 'practice', however. Phineas and Ferb still built impossible contraptions every other day, with the help of the gang, but Phineas made sure he didn't ignore Isabella anymore.

At the conclusion of one project, he informed her that their date would be on New Year's Eve, but he would only tell her that she should bring warm clothes. Isabella first tried affectionately 'bribing' him for answers, and then jokingly threatened that she wouldn't kiss him for the rest of the day if he wouldn't tell her, but he always smirked a little evilly and shook his head. He still got the kisses, however, as she just couldn't resist.

Late in the morning on New Year's Eve, Isabella finally decided she needed to catch up with her friends, so she invited Gretchen and Adyson over. They eagerly compared Gretchen and Adyson's dance dates to Isabella's earlier 'dates' with Phineas, squealing whenever somebody let loose one detail too many. Adyson had gone with a different group, but it still seemed like she had a good time. Isabella excitedly told them about her mystery date with Phineas later in the day, and Gretchen responded by sharing that Ferb had asked her out again as well, for a date in only a week. She had yet to get her first kiss, but Isabella assured her that it was well-worth the wait.

They then had a quick lunch, and had just started looking through old Fireside Girls patches when Isabella glanced at the clock.

"Oh gosh, there's only an hour until my date with Phineas! Could you guys help me pick out something to wear?"

Gretchen and Adyson excitedly agreed, and waited for Isabella to take a shower, brush her teeth, and ready her hair. When she was finished, they had prepared for her some long, skinny blue jeans and a long sleeved pink cardigan to be worn with a white undershirt. Isabella instantly loved them, and even added a touch of makeup after she had dressed. She almost never wore makeup, but today was a special occasion.

With her outfit complete, Isabella and her friends excitedly waited for her date to pick her up, but at the same time, she began to feel nervous. What if it went badly? What if she ran out of things to say? What if she looked … ugly?

What the heck is wrong with you! Isabella accused herself, We've already been on several 'dates' in the past two weeks, he's told you he loves you numerous times, we have never run out of things to talk about, and why would he ever think you were ugly?

Gretchen seemed to notice as Isabella anxiously fretted with the hem of her cardigan, and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's gonna go great, Isabella," she encouraged, "Don't worry about it." Isabella half-heartedly smiled back, but still felt worried.

"Thanks, Gretchen," she replied, "I really hope so."

Just then, the doorbell rang, right on time. Isabella froze, suddenly not wanting to answer it. Why was this any different from being with Phineas anywhere else? She only began walking downstairs when she was pushed out of her room by her friends, who were getting anxious.

Isabella gulped, used her phone screen's reflection to check her appearance yet again, and then nervously opened the door to be met with her knight in shining armor, Phineas. He was wearing a collared, leather tan jacket hanging open to reveal a white undershirt, along with navy blue jeans.

"Hi, Izzy!" he greeted childishly.

"Hi, P-Phin," she stuttered, giving him a shy smile as she slipped on a light, furry lavender coat. Isabella couldn't believe that this was actually happening. She had been dreaming of dating Phineas for years, so the situation was almost unreal. She stepped up to him to give him a quick hug, but was surprised when he flipped her around, supporting her back with his arm. It was almost as if they were in a climactic dance pose.

"You look beautiful," he whispered confidently, and without any thought, he brushed away her newly disheveled hair and began to lean down towards her. She blushed, as always, then closed her eyes and craned her up as well, but right when they were about to touch, Phineas noticed something in the upstairs window. Smirking, he pulled away, leaving Gretchen and Adyson pouting, the latter holding her presumably recording phone.

"Not gonna happen!" he shouted up to them, pulling Isabella away to the car. She flushed a shade of pink as Phineas opened the door for her, and then got in.

"Are you okay?" he asked when he got in the driver's seat, noticing her obvious worry. Isabella instinctively nodded, trying to calm herself. Phineas reached over and held her hand anyways, tracing little circles over her palm.

"We're gonna have so much fun, Izzy," he told her warmly, smiling. Phineas's attitude, as always, completely dissipated any sense of stress or sadness. In only a few moments, Isabella was soon enthusiastic and feeling at-home once again.

Isabella's anticipation about their activity had built up all throughout the week, so she could hardly contain herself as they drove. Her conversation came out as excited spurts, occasionally making Phineas laugh.

Isabella's eyes glinted with excitement as they parked next to a big, snowy park, with a classic frozen over lake in the middle. It was littered with ice skaters performing complicated tricks over the shining ice, and a few kids building snowmen on the sides. She had expected some crazy invention or activity, which would also be great, but this was even better. She only got more excited when Phineas opened her door, holding a pink and a white pair of ice skates.

"I thought you might like it simple, so I chose ice-skating," he explained. Now it was Phineas's turn to look nervous. "You do like it, right?" he asked for confirmation.

"Yes! Yes, it looks amazing!" she exclaimed, graciously accepting the pink set of skates. As they walked down to the lake, there were a few other people skating, but it wasn't crowded, and the weather was sunny and warm for the winter, making it a perfect day.

As they sat on a natural log bench to put on their skates, Isabella 'innocently' asked Phineas to help her get on her skates. He happily complied, gently pushing her feet into the soles, and then tying up the laces for her. She was satisfied for a moment - and then wanted more babying.

"Can you teach me how to skate, Phin?" Isabella asked, tilting her head to one side and giving him puppy dog eyes. Now it was Phineas's turn to blush.

"Uh, s-sure, Izzy," he responded, carefully leading her onto the ice. She feigned stumbling, but he caught her, moving his hand around her waist to keep her stabilized. Isabella sighed; she would never get used to his touch. They skated a few loops around the lake, Phineas trying to teach Isabella the basic strides and how to skate in-sync with him, while she purposely did a poor job.

"Wait a second," he realized after a few more minutes, "Weren't you playing ice-hockey with us a few years ago? And I thought you were skating during S'winter, too!" Isabella tried to shrug, but Phineas had caught on.

"Busted!" he yelled, letting go of her and skating away. Deciding to toy with him just a little longer, she dramatically tripped over her skates and fell down, letting herself spin once or twice on the slippery ice. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as she watched Phineas's joking expression quickly fill with horror and guilt. As fast as he had left, he came back, skidding to a halt right beside her.

"Izzy, I'm so sorry!" he apologized, trying to help her up, "I thought you could skate by yourself! Did I hurt you?" She sniffed and shook her head once, allowing herself to be nearly picked up.

"I feel terrible," he said, looking down at the ground. Isabella couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, then broke away from him and quickly skirtedaway, doing a little twirl in the air as she went. He stared at her with a gaping mouth, but then it turned into a smile as he realized what had happened.

Phineas tried skating up to her, but she swerved behind him at the last moment, retreating to a different part of the lake. He looked at her in confusion, but then started to grin, and skated towards her at a high speed. She lazily sidestepped him, but this time, she underestimated his pace, and he just managed to nab her pinky finger. Then, before she could react, he was halfway across the lake, beginning to laugh as well. Pretty soon, they had a fun game of tag going, Isabella occasionally performing perfect spinning tricks as she fled from him, and Phineas awkwardly trying to recreate them.

Deciding to make it even more fun, Isabella stopped next to a snowdrift and grabbed a handful of snow, packing it into a snowball behind her back. Then, as Phineas came straight at her, she leaned back, and threw it directly into his face! Phineas skidded to a stop, wiping snow off his nose, while Isabella began laughing.

"Do I still throw like a girl, Phi-!" she was cut short when a snowball came right back into her face. Apparently Phineas had the same idea. Now it was his turn to laugh as he skated away for more ammunition. Over the next ten minutes, they continued their high-paced snowball fight, Isabella throwing remarkably better than when they were supposed to be stargazing. They had probably started to annoy the more professional skaters, but it was just too much fun to care.

As Isabella skated backwards and hurled yet more snowballs at her pursuer, she watched as he suddenly sped up even more.

"Isabella! Look out for that-!"

Isabella skated right into a massive snow drift, once again being covered in white fluff. Only seconds later, Phineas came crashing in as well, landing right next to her. She smiled at him widely with sparkling eyes, her laughs slowly dieing down into giggles from the snowball fight. He smiled back and moved closer, but then his face transformed into a frown. They dusted the snow off themselves, but otherwise remained lying down, very close in proximity.

"That was mean," he muttered in mock-sadness, "I thought you were hurt."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Phin, I feel horrible!" she replied over-soothingly, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Is there anything at all I can do for you?"

"No, nothing could make me feel better," he said sarcastically, turning on his side and resting one hand on her waist in return.

"Are you sure?" she pressed, inching her head closer to his. Her lips grazed his, teasing before the moment to come.

"Well I do feel a little cold," he continued, running his other hand through her hair.

"So do I, my lips are so cold," Isabella commented flirtatiously, moving her other hand to his shoulder, "I think they might be turning blue."

"Maybe I could help you out with that," he whispered a painfully far distance away. Isabella finally lost her cool and began blushing up a storm, but it didn't matter, because she instantly smashed her lips into his. She sighed into him and started wrapping her arms around his neck, letting her eyes slide closed, and anxiously waited for him to press her against his chest. Instead, however, he quickly pushed her away, grinning evilly. Isabella desperately tried re-closing the space between them, but he held her firmly down.

"But... more..." she whimpered, and he laughed, finally standing up. Phineas helped her up as well, avoiding another tempting kiss, and quickly undid both his and her skates.

"Now you're just being mean," she chided, and she shot him a mock-dirty look as she got on her shoes.

"Well I guess I'd better make it up to you, then," he replied, "How 'bout we go get some dinner?" Isabella squealed and rapidly nodded her head, excited that the date wasn't over yet … even though she would get more of that later. It was already getting dark out, too, so they probably needed to go.

Phineas had planned out the date well, and they were conveniently within walking distance of the restaurant. So, after storing the skates in the car, they walked hand-in-hand through the park and across a street, and there was Weavers. Weavers had been a favorite among the gang for several years, and they used to stop by on special occasions if their parents were feeling generous. It was just right for the date; not overly fancy and expensive, but a nice sit-down place nonetheless.

After they walked in, Isabella had to use the restroom, so Phineas set about getting them a place to sit. After the greeter led him to a table-for-two, he began examining the extensive menu, but was interrupted by a high, very bored sounding voice.

"Hello and welcome to Weavers, I'm Jessica and I'll be your serv- Phineas?" the monotone ceased as the waitress recognized him. Phineas looked up, and to his astonishment, Jessica stood there, ready to take his order!

"Oh hi, Phinny!" she flirted, immediately taking the seat opposite to him. "I hope you weren't too disappointed from missing out on that dance with me," she continued, smiling at him almost possessively and leaning forward. Jessica had obviously missed the news that Phineas and Isabella were now a thing, or maybe she was just ignoring it.

Phineas edged to the back of his seat, not interested in catching up with her, let alone while on a date.

"Hello, Jessica," he greeted politely, "Aren't you supposed to be working right now?"

"Well duh..." she replied a little rudely, "But the manager's too old to notice. Or too dumb. Mind if I join you?" Phineas had been overly tolerant on his original date with Jessica, but he wasn't letting it go this time. He could not endure even another five minutes of gossip from her, let alone while on a different date.

"Actually," he started, standing up, "I do mind." Jessica looked startled, but at just the right moment before she could respond, Isabella happened to return from the bathroom. She looked between Phineas and the sitting waitress in confusion, wondering what she was doing there.

Jessica was thinking the exact same thing.

"What is she doing here?" she seethed to Phineas, loud enough for Isabella to hear, "Tell that goody-two-shoes to get out of here!"

Isabella was utterly confused. What were they talking about, or maybe arguing about? Why was she sitting down at what was presumably their table? Then it dawned on her. Jessica had been on a date with Phineas before, and she was trying to steal him back! Her hands balled up into fists and she stared daggers at her competition.

As for Phineas, he had had enough. Even if he had only been 'talking' with her for a minute, Jessica's blatant insults towards all his friends, especially Isabella, had to stop.

"Excuse me," Phineas retorted quite sourly, which seldom happened, "I am on a date with that 'goody-two-shoes', and I do not appreciate you badmouthing her, or any of my friends like that. Could we please sit down now?" As he talked, he moved next to Isabella and put an arm around her, almost as if to protect her.

Jessica was flabbergasted. What was he talking about? And why was he touching her? Nobody, and she meant nobody turned Jessica down like that! She didn't know what to do, this had never happened before.

"Phineas!" she shrieked, "Get your arm off of her!"

"Why?" he inquired quite simply, trying not to overreact.

"Because I said so!"

"But she's my best friend, and maybe even more," he answered steadily, squeezing Isabella a little as he said so. To prove his point, he leaned down, and planted a light kiss on her forehead, making her feel a little dizzy with pleasant surprise.

Isabella watched as the fire slowly died in Jessica's eyes as she glared at them.

"You're just like the rest of them," she spat out, addressing Phineas. "I thought I could change you, but you're just as dull-headed as the rest of those Fireside Girls."

Isabella wanted to defend Phineas with a snide comeback, but before she did, Jessica spun around and walked out of the restaurant while on the job. The two stood there, unsure of what to do.

After Jessica left, a nicer waiter came to serve them instead. They each ordered a modest meal, and then Isabella turned to Phineas, wanting an explanation.

"How exactly was your date with Jessica 'interesting'?" she questioned, remembering his reluctance to discuss the matter on Christmas Eve. Phineas sighed; he didn't like to talk negatively of others, but Isabella had just seen her in action, so she deserved to know.

"It was worse than I said before. We were talking at dinner, but she kept making fun of you and the gang. I tried to change the subject so many times, but she wouldn't stop."

Isabella's eyes widened slightly, but she was sort of expecting that anyways.

"And then there was the movie," he continued, "She kept … touching me throughout the entire thing and trying to cuddle, even though I asked her to stop several times. It was not fun."

"So... you don't like to cuddle?" Isabella asked, tensing slightly.

"Not with her," he replied, shaking his head. But then he realized the gist of Isabella's concern. "Oh, but I'm more than okay with cuddling with you!" he quickly clarified, making her lips twitch upwards.

About then, their dishes came out. One of the reasons the gang liked Weavers so much was because of their preparation and serving time. Of course, Isabella knew that Phineas and Ferb would be unrealistically faster than their already unrealistically fast service.

Isabella continued to converse with Phineas as they ate their delectable meal, both of them deciding to leave the subject of Jessica alone. She loved how, even after becoming much more than friends, they could still talk freely about anything and everything, and even more so while on a date. She had been concerned that it might get awkward, but it was just as easy, if not easier to talk and flirt. She couldn't believe that she had actually felt worried when he picked her up.

Isabella grew a little sad as she finished the last bite of her meal, because that meant they would have to go home now. She had been out with Phineas for several hours now, and most people would be about ready to go, but she felt that she could spend forever with him.

After Phineas paid for the meal, they got their coats on again and started heading back to the car. It was completely dark out, and had been for a while, but Isabella felt safe and secure with Phineas walking right next to her in the still warm air.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked with concern, noticing her slight depression. He stopped walking and laid a hand on her shoulder supportively.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing..."

"No, it's not. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all! I just … I don't want this day to end yet..."

Phineas gave Isabella a caring smile, then led her to a nearby park bench and sat them down, dusting off its light coating of snow beforehand.

"Izzy, you don't have to worry about that," he told her, smiling. "I've had a great time taking you out today, and I don't want it to end either, but what's to say the next one isn't gonna be even better? We can go on as many dates as you want, that I can promise you."

Isabella smiled. No matter what Phineas said, he would always make her feel warm and happy.

"Okay," she replied, feeling a little more optimistic.

"Besides, you're going to be at our house for New Year's Eve, right?"

Isabella thought for a second, then nodded.

"Yeah... We can start the new year together..." She sighed in contentment, still having to remind herself this was real every once in a while. Isabella figured that they should stand up to head for the car, but neither of them made a move. They sat there in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. They listened to a whistling breeze pass through the otherwise silent park, and watched as little snowflakes began to float down from the sky. Everything was just right.

After a couple minutes, Isabella decided that they really did need to get home, so she reluctantly began to stand up. However, as she was doing so, she interrupted by a huge crack of noise and light. Isabella stifled a shriek and grabbed onto Phineas for dear life, only to find him staring up at the sky in wonder. She followed his gaze until she realized where the loud bang had come from.

Isabella watched as the remains of a brilliant red firework slowly fell back to Earth and dissipated into nothing. Right after, another projectile flew into the air and exploded, this time releasing a flashy blue crackle effect that lit up the night sky. This one didn't scare Isabella as much, and she felt herself relaxing her grip on Phineas and making herself comfortable. She didn't even try to move away, and in a moment, she was sitting nearly on his lap, her legs over his.

The couple watched as another blue, green, and then trio of gold fireworks flared up and echoed through the dark night, making vibrant scenes in the air above. Phineas adjusted his position so that he was holding her, so that their heads were just touching as they stared up.

Isabella began to lose track of time as she watched the light show, fascinated by the constant projectiles that exploded in the night sky, creating dazzling shapes, colors, and sounds. There were spirals, circles, stars, hearts, and more, but her favorite was a big burst of orange and pink triangles.

The show ended as a finale of green, blue, and golden explosions fizzed and crackled before slowly fading away into blackness. Phineas and Isabella continued staring up into space, entranced. When no more light or bursts came from above, they slowly turned to stare at each other, but said nothing.

Isabella knew in the back of her mind that they had should have left quite some time ago, but she just felt so comfortable, and intrigued by the lights, that she didn't want to move. Phineas was probably feeling the same way, judging by his lack of leaving. She melted into him even more, resting her head on his chest and listening to the steady drum of his heartbeat while he caressed the small of her back.

Okay, we NEED to leave right now, the small, rational part of her brain shouted at her for the umpteenth time. Isabella inwardly groaned, and was about to move to get up, when she was interrupted by a voice over a loudspeaker. It was distant, probably somewhere in the city, but she could still make out the words.

"Okay folks, we're up to the last moments! There's barely one minute until the new year, let's start this countdown!" The projected voice rang across the park they had all to themselves. In disbelief, Isabella moved away just enough from Phineas to face him and pulled out her phone to check the time, and her suspicions were confirmed as it read 11:59.

In the distance, they could hear the chant of people just beginning to count down to the near year.

59 … 58 … 57

"How long have we been out here?" Isabella whispered incredulously.

"I don't know, I didn't think it was that long," Phineas replied, "But we're not gonna make it back on time at this point."

Isabella felt like she should have been sad for missing the party, but she was actually ok with it. She pondered for a moment, looking back on the year. It had been amazing, especially the last few days, but now she could start off a new, even better one.

41 … 40 … 39

"We get to start a new year, Phin, together," Isabella commented, starting to smile at him.

"Yes Izzy, yes we do."

32 … 31 … 30

Thinking about the boy next to her, she suddenly began to feel overwhelmed with joy. He, against all odds, had discovered her secret, acted on it, and now they were happily together. She probably wouldn't have ever built up enough courage to confess her love to him, but he had done it in only a week. She needed to tell him, at least once more.

"Phin, I know I've told you already, but..."

"But?" He pressed when she paused.

"I love you Phineas, I love you so much."

18 … 17 … 16

He turned to smile back at her, and wiped away a small tear droplet that had formed in her eye.

"I love you too, Izzy. More than you can imagine."

More tears came to Isabella's eyes and she beamed back at him, her eyes glued to his. She always swooned whenever he repeated himself, but this felt different, even more meaningful than before.

9 … 8 … 7

Her heart began to pound in her chest, and she felt a similar throb coming from Phineas. He gingerly tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

6 … 5 … 4

"It's time for a new year. Will you face it with me, Izzy?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

"Yes," she replied with force, trying not to break out crying. "Happy New Year, Phineas."

3 … 2 … 1

"Happy New Year, Isabella." he whispered, and then his lips were softly pressed against hers in a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in response and pushed deeper against him, both of them slowly closing their eyes. They ignored the cheer and the ring of the bell as the new year began, ignored the peaceful surroundings and burst of new fireworks, and ignored all the stress and challenges that life presented. Because now, they were ready to endure anything, together. In paradisiacal, everlasting, absolutely perfect...

Bliss.

I love that ending :D

Thank you all so much for all the support and popularity this story has gotten, it's all because of you! If you enjoyed this story at all, or have found problems, and even if you don't have an account, please leave me a review! Even a smiley face would suffice :) I want to know what you guys want from me in the future, or if people really read this :)

I'd also love it if you favorited this story, especially if you've been a follower this whole time! But only if you truly did enjoy reading!

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Disabled/Guest Review Responses:

woodland5: Although I don't possess the same attraction to Carl, thanks XD

guest: Thanks :)

(Wow, the other 43 were all registered users! Thanks for logging in! (And don't worry, woodland5, I like your reviews too!))

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Again, my new story "Frozen Reality" is finally out if you'd like to read!

Oh, and I finally spell-checked a chapter too! Once again, thank you for all your positive feedback. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!